1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a service providing system for enabling the user of service client equipment installed on a vehicle to enjoy a plurality of services by sending and receiving information through DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) between the on-board service client equipment and roadside service host equipment installed outside the vehicle. More particularly, it relates to a vehicle-roadside service providing system for enabling the user to enjoy, from the service host equipment, even services which are not accommodated by the service client equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic toll collection (ETC) systems, which are a sort of conventional vehicle-roadside service providing system, have been put to practical use as one scheme of intelligent transport systems. In such ETC systems, drivers can pay the toll of a toll road without temporarily stopping their cars at a toll booth. In addition, ETC systems use the technology of dedicated short range communications (DSRC), and the achievement of various kinds of applications employing DSRC will be expected in the future.
In general, in DSRC, two-way communications at large capacity can be performed between roadside equipment and on-board or on-vehicle equipment in a narrow or limited zone (i.e., from a few meters to several tens of meters). For services using DSRC, it is desired to provide various kinds of services such as, for example, entry and exit management services in parking lots, refueling and payment services at gas stations, ordering and payment services in drive-throughs, etc.
Conventionally, a vehicle-roadside service providing system compatible with a variety of services has been proposed in which an application providing a service is set or installed in advance in an on-board DSRC device which can accommodate various kinds of services, in a manner such that the type of an application necessary for a specific service to be provided between the on-board device and roadside equipment is identified by the on-board device based on the identifier of the application, and only when the type of the application thus identified corresponds to that application which has been set in advance in the on-board device, the application is executed through communications between the on-board device and the roadside equipment thereby to start the specific service (see document 1: Japanese patent laid-open No. 2002-15342 for instance).
However, in case where it is necessary to register an application for a service in an on-board device in advance as described above, there arises the necessity of changing the content of registration of the on-board device in order to accommodate an application not yet registered therein.
For instance, a refueling and payment service at gas stations cannot be used by an on-board device in which only an entry and exit management service in parking lots is registered. In order to use the new service, it is necessary for the user to further register in the on-board device an application for executing the refueling and payment service.
Moreover, there has been proposed a DSRC system which is capable of achieving the provision of a service at gas stations for example when a certain application is executed by the use of DSRC (for instance, see document 2: Japanese patent laid-open No. 2001-213286).
Thus, in case where the DSRC system is constructed for gas stations, the kind and amount of fuel to be refueled are first told or notified by the user to a refueling system through DSRC, and subsequently, the refueling of fuel is automatically carried out based on the information given to the refueling system. Finally, payment for the refueling is performed by using an automatic settlement function through DSRC. When using such a service, the user also often uses a similar service repeatedly at a certain shop after having used the service at a different shop. At this time, even if the information (e.g., the kind and amount of fuel, etc.) that the user should pass on has the same content, it is necessary for the user to tell the information at each shop.
The conventional vehicle-roadside service providing systems, which have been constructed as mentioned above, involve the following problems. That is, in the case of document 1 above, an application for performing each service has to be reregistered every time an object for each service is changed such as between a service in parking lots and a service at gas stations, etc., for instance.
In addition, in the case of document 2 above, even if the user can enjoy a service at a plurality of gas stations, it is necessary for the user to pass on the same or similar information to each shop, which is troublesome and inconvenient.
The present invention is intended to obviate the above-mentioned problems, and has for its object to provide a vehicle-roadside service providing system which enables a user to enjoy even a service, which is not accommodated by on-board DSRC equipment installed on a vehicle, from roadside equipment, and which can easily accommodate a change in the content of the service.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle-roadside service providing system in which even if the place such as a shop, etc., where the user enjoys a service, changes, it is unnecessary for the user to notify information, if it can be omitted, which should be passed on from the user, to roadside equipment each time the user uses the same or similar service, thereby making it possible to improve user""s convenience.
Bearing the above objects in mind, the present invention resides in a vehicle-roadside service providing system for providing a service to a user of service client equipment. The system includes: service host equipment arranged outside a vehicle; the service client equipment installed on the vehicle; and DSRC equipment for connecting between the service host equipment and the service client equipment for two-way communications. The service host equipment includes: a service sequence storage part for storing a service sequence that describes the procedure of the service; and a first sequence step executing part for executing the service sequence. The service client equipment includes: a service detecting part for detecting when the service is started; a human interface part for performing communications between the user and the service client equipment; a service sequence acquiring part for taking out the service sequence from the service host equipment through the DSRC equipment; and a second sequence step executing part for executing the service sequence.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.